1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of delivering audio/video programming to an end user. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for and method of transmitting video programming to a user via satellite, while at the same time providing internet, video-phone, video on demand, and other IP services to the user through a wireless IP network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there is increased demand for the delivery of internet service and video-on-demand to areas inaccessible to cable users. These particular users also tend to prefer satellite audio/video service providers. Presently, however, there is no one delivering a combination of services equivalent to those available to individuals which are includable within a cable or other physically wired service provider.
Satellite television is nothing new. Satellite television is a lot like traditional broadcast television. It's a wireless system which delivers television programming directly to the user's residence. Satellite service is delivered through radio waves.
Satellite broadcasters use powerful antennas to transmit these radio waves to the vast surrounding areas. Users then receive the signal with a much smaller antenna. Both the sending and receiving antennas are typically in a dish shape and will be well known to those skilled in the art. This initial signal transmission is referred to as an “up-link.” A satellite is used because the sending antenna transmits the up-link radio waves in essentially a straight line. The signal must be delivered upward, rather than along the horizon, because of two reasons. The first reason is because of obstacles, such as buildings, trees, inter alia. These obstacles will interfere/block the signal before it gets to the user. The second reason is because of the spherical nature of the earth. Because the earth is a sphere, the horizontal delivery of a linear-radio signal will move tangentially away from the earth into space—away from any targets on the earth's surface. Thus, it is necessary for the signal to be delivered upward, and bounced off of something. After it is bounced, the signal is directed back down to receiving antennas owned by satellite-subscribing residences. The transmission downward after the bounce is commonly referred to as the “down-link.”
Nowadays, satellite broadcasts are almost completely digital. The same up-link/down-link principles referred to above also apply to digital satellite setups. These digital arrangements typically provide great picture and sound quality. The signal is generated by the streaming of data files. The most common form of this type of file is what is known as an MPEG. MPEG stands for Movie Pictures Experts Group. MPEG's comprise video recorded digitally which is converted into digital bits and compressed. These files may come in a variety of versions, e.g., MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-3, and MPEG-4.
Once a satellite signal is received by the antenna/dish at a customer's residence, the signal is transferred to a receiver inside the viewer's house. The receiver is the end component in the satellite/TV system. It takes the digital MPEG signal and converts it to analog. Analog format is recognized by a decoder in a standard television which then displays the video content. Thus, the digital MPEG is able to be recognized and displayed on the television. The receiver may also engage in descrambling of encrypted signals, recording billing information, and some even have built in video recorders which enable the pausing or recording of live television by recording it in memory or on a hard drive for the consumer's convenience.
In-residence receivers like this are typically contained within what is commonly referred to as a set-top box. Unfortunately, these conventional satellite set-top boxes are unable to obtain video-on-demand, or other IP-supported features such as internet services. Because of this the consumer is not able to surf the net on their television. Likewise, they cannot answer emails or engage in video phone conferencing. Other examples are too numerous to mention here.
Satellite providers are unable to fulfill these requirements because of the lack of the lack of up-link capabilities back to the satellite from the consumer. For the use of the internet there must be interfacing between the consumer and the IP network. The conventional satellite arrangement can not accomplish this because there is only a down-link to the consumers set-top box. The consumer is unable to talk back to the provider, so to speak.
It is known in the art to use a satellite for interactive purposes, wherein the satellite is engaged in sending and receiving data from a provider to an end user. For example, phone services have been provided in which the user is afforded an up-link to the satellite enabling bilateral communications with a consumer. SATPhones are an example of this. These types of services, however, are excessively expensive—typically as much as $10 per minute. These exorbitant costs preclude the typical satellite provider from giving consumers bilateral access to a satellite simply for the purpose of IP access. Therefore, this course has not been pursued by satellite programming providers.
Wired-IP networking has been used to provide video-on-demand to cable subscribers. This is done by the cable service provider by maintaining a video-server farm. On the server farm are multiple instances of the same MPEG file, e.g. movies. On the same or other server farms there will be multiple versions of other movies—things that the consumer will want to see at their leisure on a schedule of their choosing. With this type of arrangement the cable provider transmits MPEGs, on demand, to a user in a residence through the existing cable system which is already in place. The video may be either streamed or downloaded into a cable box provided to the end user. Usually the later.
The data will be transferred as follows. First, the version will be drawn out of the server farm and transmitted into an IP network, e.g. the internet. From there, it will be transmitted to the consumer's set-top box, which includes a microcomputer. The MPEG is then downloaded and stored in a memory component of the microcomputer. In this manner, the user may watch the movie at that instance or save it for later at some desired time period.
One problem with these prior art video-on-demand systems is that they are terrestrially-bound. By this, it is meant that there must be a physical cable or other kind of physical connection (e.g., fiber optic cable, existing phone lines) run over the ground to the consumer. The requirements for a physical connection are sometimes too much. Often times, cable services will not be able to reach rural areas, because to do so is economically unfeasible. These more remote places are typically the areas in which satellite is most popular. For example, it's common when driving in the country to see house after house with satellite receiving antenna dishes. This is typically because these consumers are unable to obtain cable service. As a result, they are faced with satellite as their only option for obtaining good quality reception of numerous programming options (e.g., many channels) for their viewing pleasure.
These consumers, however, have conventionally missed out on the IP-connection benefits afforded to cable subscribers. Cable services have begun to offer phone and internet service in addition to television programming to providers. Satellite subscribers have missed out on this opportunity because of their lack of connectivity.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a system that provides all the above-described benefits existent in an in-home wired arrangement which, however, is not terrestrially-bound like the prior art systems.